Four Seasons
by Cleone
Summary: After sleeping with so many women, famous, self proclaimed 'insane' composer Uchiha Sasuke thought he wouldn't find love...until he met a certain opera singer. SasuHina. Limeish, lemonish in later chapters. COMPLETE.
1. Herbst

**A/N: Set around 1700's in Germany.**

**Herbst (Fall)**

A wadded up piece of parchment soared across the room and landed almost gracefully under the window, from which warm, autumn sunshine was pouring into the small, cramped room. Ideas for new compositions were certainly running short. No, inspiration was running short in the rich, aristocratic town, where art and music were falsely appreciated by the money-ridden men and snooty women.

The town's greatest composer, Uchiha Sasuke, rubbed his temples in frustration and sighed deeply. "Good god, since when did I start writing such tripe?"

He picked up his quill once again and stared down at a fresh piece of parchment, half-hoping that great music would suddenly start writing itself from nowhere. One of the toughest jobs had to be that of a composer: you were expected to always and forever write masterpieces that moved the world, carving your name into history and being remembered till the end of time.

Sasuke started to idly doodle on the corner of the parchment. Not only was writing music that was actually acceptable difficult, but so was getting people to listen to his work. He had to jump through many loops to get bureaucrats and governors to support him and help pay for his tools and instruments. And well…it didn't hurt that he had managed to sleep with some of the richest women in town, who would lavish him with praises and promise to provide him with plenty of money so he could continue with his work. Hey, a composer's gotta do what a composer's gotta do.

Sasuke leaned back in his chair and sucked on the tip of the feather quill, losing all hope of getting off of square one for a new song that day. So what if he was getting paid to do this and that all his supporters were expecting something great? If you had no inspiration, you had no song.

He groaned and held his aching head as three loud knocks on the door echoed throughout the dusty room.

"God, what?" He snapped irritably.

The door creaked open and his assistant, Naruto, bowed his way into the room. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, _sir_," he said with relish.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and set his chair on its' four legs. "What, Naruto? I'm busy."

Naruto snickered. "Doing what? Thinking of the next whore you're going to bring back tonight?"

Sasuke smirked. "Don't be jealous now, my dear assistant. When you're a great composer like me, the women will be crawling at your feet like the mongrels they are." He rested his hands behind his head. "So, what is your reason for your intrusion?"

Naruto dug into his pocket and produced a small, square piece of yellow parchment. "Miss Haruno invites you to come to the performance of another person she's supporting."

Sasuke laced his fingers together. "Okay…"

Naruto glanced down at the paper. "It's an opera show featuring a young woman named Hyuuga Hinata."

Sasuke raised his brow in interest. "Is she decent-looking?"

His assistant shrugged. "Don't ask me. I hadn't even heard of her before Miss Haruno gave me the invitation."

Sasuke sighed, got off his chair, and looked out the small window. The red and brown leaves shook as a light wind whispered through the trees, and the golden sun was making it's descent below the horizon. Ah, autumn was a beautiful time of the year: the time for change, shedding off the old and getting ready for the new.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to go," Sasuke mumbled, still turned away from the other man.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and smiled his signature fox-like grin. "You'd get to see Miss Haruno."

Sasuke scoffed. "What do I care?"

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? She's the most beautiful woman in the whole town and you've even managed to get her in your bedroom!"

Sasuke clicked his tongue. "The only thing she is to me is my money provider, no matter how good-looking she is on the outside. Besides…" He faced his assistant. "She's a downright snoot who thinks that everyone must do her bidding at any time of the day or night."

Naruto let his shoulders drop. "Hey, if I were in your position, I'd be the goddamn happiest man ever!"

Sasuke shook his head. "Trust me, being a composer is one of the _worst_ professions ever."

"So why are you-"

Before Naruto could finish his sentence, Sasuke swapped the parchment out of his hand and stared down at it.

"So it's at eight o' clock tonight at the opera house, huh?" He frowned and crinkled his nose when he saw a small hand-drawn heart next to Haruno Sakura's signature. "Jesus, this woman is impossible."

Naruto smiled, looking relieved. "So you're going?"

His teacher slapped the parchment back into his hands. "Sure, maybe I can get some inspiration from this Hyuuga woman."

"Or from Miss Haruno, or possibly Miss Yamanaka."

Sasuke shuddered. "Ugh, don't even mention those two women in the same sentence."

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "I don't get it. You should be the happiest man in the entire town."

Sasuke gave him a small wink. "Composers are infamous for being insane."

Later that night, the two men made their way into the middle of the town under the corn-yellow moon and deep, midnight blue sky, dressed in their best vests and waist coats. Naruto was about ten feet in front of Sasuke, walking very quickly and seeming very anxious to get to the opera house.

"What's the hurry?" Sasuke said lazily to Naruto's back. "We have time."

"But," Naruto panted, quickening his pace even more, "I want to see Miss Haruno before the show starts." He sighed wistfully. "Ah, she's an angel."

Sasuke scoffed. "Yeah, with an attitude comparable to the devil's."

He laughed to himself as he imagined the look on the other man's face at that moment: scowling and angry, like when a child didn't get any sweets after their dinner. Ah, his assistant was almost cute.

"You shouldn't be talking, _sir_," Naruto grumbled.

"Come now, Naruto," Sasuke replied cheerfully. "Let's not be in such a sour mood when we should be enjoying ourselves tonight!"

"Fine."

"That's a good boy."

They walked the rest of the way to the opera house in silence, their shoes scraping loudly against the newly paved road. When they turned the corner to the street the opera house was on, they were both slightly surprised at the large, elegantly dressed crowd moving their way through the double glass doors.

"Wow, should be a good show," Naruto said breathlessly.

"Let's hope so," Sasuke muttered. "I don't want to waste a whole evening and gain no inspiration."

They looked at one another and nodded before pushing and shoving their way through the huge crowd, women screaming at them for indecency and men clicking their tongues loudly and commenting on the lack of manners people had these days. After a few moments, Sasuke and Naruto managed to squeeze their way through the double doors and into the brightly lit main hall, where exquisite paintings and gold statutes stared down at them from almost every corner.

Naruto looked around in awe. "It's so…fancy."

Sasuke sighed. "Eh, it's nothing new." He grimaced as he looked past the heads of the entering crowd. "Oh great, here she comes-"

A woman with pink hair in an elegant bun, a stunning gold and white dress that puffed out on either side, and some of the most expensive jewelry in the entire town pushed her way through a mass of people and ran up to Sasuke and Naruto, slightly out of breath.

"Such a pleasure to have you here," the woman said sweetly.

Sasuke plastered on his fake yet charming smile and bent down on one knee. "Good evening, my dear Miss Haruno." He grabbed her hand and gently pressed his lips against her fair skin, causing her to giggle loudly, and stood up.

"Ah, Mr. Uchiha," Sakura said, batting her eyelids. "I'm hoping that you didn't only come to see the show." She winked.

"I-I came to see you," Naruto whimpered, his face reddening.

Sakura frowned and turned to Naruto with a look of disgust on her face. "And why are _you _here?" She snapped, her politeness suddenly disappearing. "I remember only inviting Mr. Uchiha."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who looked like a puppy who had just been told off for misbehaving. "Naruto was the one who suggested I come. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here at the moment."

Sakura sniffed and crinkled her nose. "Hmph. I suppose I will allow it for tonight." She looked back at Sasuke, her face glowing once again. "I hope you enjoy the show. Miss Hyuuga and the others are very talented singers." She gestured to a flight of marble stairs in the corner of the hall. "Won't you join me in my private balcony?" She glared at Naruto. "Alone, if you would."

Sasuke waved his hand. "No thanks, Miss Haruno. I think I'll sit with the commoners." He nodded at Naruto and they made their way to the doors that led to the audience area.

"Isn't she fantastic?" Naruto said, sighing and holding his hand over his heart. "She just makes me go insane."

Sasuke sat down in a sit near the back and crossed his right leg over the left. "She's an egotistic, pompous priss. I still don't get what you see in her."

Naruto slumped down on a seat to Sasuke's right. "Hark the one who spent the night with her."

Sasuke had no response to that and was very happy when the lights finally dimmed and the curtain rose. "The show's about to start. Keep quiet now."

"Always changing the subject," Naruto whispered.

The orchestra started playing as a young woman walked gracefully onto the stage, her dark hair falling to her bare shoulders and the dim light just barely making her white dress shine. The audience hushed as the woman opened her milky white eyes and began singing in Latin.

_"Ave Maria  
Gratia plena…"_

Sasuke laced his fingers together and stared intently at the girl. Her voice hit the high and low pitches perfectly. Her hand flowed over her heart when she raised her voice, adding to the emotion. Her snow-white eyes shimmered throughout the entire song, and sometimes a small grin was visible on her face.

"I think that's Hyuuga Hinata," Naruto said in a hushed voice.

Sasuke ignored him and continued to stare at the girl, entranced. Such talent, such beauty…a woman like that was hard to find. He listened without really listening, mesmerized by the girls' hand motions and white eyes. She finished with such gusto, her hands reached out towards the audience and her eyes closed tightly. All too soon, it was over.

Sasuke came out of his trance when the girl walked off the stage to loud applause and tears of joy. "Hey, that's it?"

"I think there will be other singers, too," Naruto said loudly over the clapping. "Might as well watch them all."

Sasuke uncrossed his legs and folded his hands neatly in his lap as another young woman walked onto the stage. He watched her sing for only a few minutes before he started to get antsy. This girl did not give him the same feeling as the Hinata woman did. She just seemed so emotionless and, not to mention, was pretty plain when it came to outer beauty. How was he supposed to get inspiration from a lifeless singer? He need to see Hinata. Now.

Sasuke stood up and tripped over Naruto as he tried to get past him. Naruto raised his brow and grabbed his arm.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?"

Sasuke shook off his grip and tip-toed into the aisle. "I'm going to see her."

He quickly and quietly walked to the wooden doors and slowly creaked them open. He slipped through, the bright lights of the hall nearly blinding him. He blinked a few times and was relieved to see that the hall was empty. He walked, more relaxed, through the hall and soon found his way down a smaller hallway.

'This seems to be the right way.'

Sasuke slowed down his pace as he walked down the hallway, staring at the doors and the name plates on them. The lighting in the hallway was about as dim as the performance area, but he managed to find his way around, bumping and knocking over only one priceless vase. A smiled tugged at his cheeks as he came to the last door in the hallway: _Prima Donna, Hyuuga Hinata. _Sasuke licked the tips of his fingers and ran his hand through his hair before clearing his throat and slowly and quietly turning the doorknob.

As the door swung open, Sasuke got a nice view of the back of the woman, her dark, silky hair being brushed gently by her pale hands and her face remaining calm in the mirror in front of her. He felt himself blush; she was only wearing a thin, pink under dress.

"May I ask why you've entered my dressing room without knocking?"

Sasuke cleared his throat, slightly taken aback by her relaxed voice and demeanor. "Uh-"

The woman turned around, a small yet reproachful smile on her face. "Have you just come for no reason, just to see me?"

Sasuke bowed slightly. "Not at all, Miss Hyuuga."

Hinata giggled. "Then if you didn't come just to gape at me, you should've warned me before entering." She faced the mirror. "So tell me, who are you and why are you here?"

Sasuke stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. "I'm a local composer supported by Miss Haruno, Uchiha Sasuke."

Hinata turned her head slightly and rubbed her cheek. "Oh yes, I've heard of you. Rumor is that you are quite…shall I say, frisky with women?"

Sasuke smirked and leaned against the white wall from which a picture featuring Sakura herself was hanging. "I do what I need to do."

He could see Hinata raise her brow in the mirror. "Sleep around the town?"

Sasuke looked down at his hand and picked at his fingernail. "It's to get money for my supplies and such."

"So you're a male whore?"

Sasuke shrugged, liking this woman more and more with every passing second. "You could say that."

"Right…" Hinata tugged at a strand of her hair. "You didn't answer my other question: why are you here?"

"To be completely honest…" Sasuke slid over to Hinata and rested his hands on her naked shoulders, causing her body to tense up. "I need you for inspiration."

Hinata relaxed slightly. "Inspiration, huh? Was my singing really all that moving?"

Sasuke gave her shoulders a squeeze. "Of course it was! You had such emotion and you hit all the right notes and, not to mention, you are a nice-looking woman, better than all plain little girls in this opera house."

Hinata's pale face turned pink. "Th-thank you very much for saying so. But-" She touched the man's hand lightly. "-how am I supposed to inspire you further?"

Sasuke leaned closer. "How about you just come by my small studio tomorrow evening?"

Both of Hinata's brows shot up. "So soon, and yet we only just met each other. You really are a tad crazy, Mr.Uchiha."

Sasuke winked at her in the mirror. "Like I told my assistant, us composers are infamous for being messed up in the brain."

Hinata sighed and leaned forward. "I suppose I can manage to sneak out for an hour or two. My father is extremely protective and he tries his best to keep me away from men."

Sasuke took his hands away from Hinata and stuck them in his pocket. "Well, he doesn't have to know about this, does he?"

"So a secret rendezvous, huh?" Hinata said quietly. "How romantic."

"I sure hope it will be," Sasuke mumbled under his breath.

Hinata turned to him, frowning. "Excuse me?"

Sasuke waved his hand. "Nothing, my dear, nothing at all. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my assistant before he dies from boredom."

He gave her another small bow before quickly exiting the room and making his way back to the audience area stealthily, leaving an almost dumbstruck Hinata in his wake.

Sasuke tapped his fingers on the table and stared outside the window at the beautiful autumn scene: the red and yellow leaves flying to the ground, the clouds blowing by peacefully in the sunset, and the shouts of laughter and joy erupting from the young children playing on the street below. He moaned, his sixth sense of being able to detect Naruto from ten feet behind him starting to go off.

"Yes, Naruto?"

Sure enough, Naruto was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed tightly and a scowl on his face. "So where did you go last night during the performance?"

"None of your concern," Sasuke said lightly, still staring out the window.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well, did you get any inspiration at least?"

Sasuke smiled. "In fact, I did."

Naruto's face brightened. "Really?"

"Yes…" Sasuke stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "My next piece will be called… _'Herbst'_."

Naruto chuckled. "'Herbst'? As in, 'Fall'? That's the most unoriginal name I've ever heard for a song."

"Quiet you, it's the best I got."

**A/N: Oh wow, this was a new style of writing for me. I hoped it worked out okay…I've never written a story where the "Naruto" characters are in a totally different time period and not to mention totally different country (which, by the way, is supposed to be Germany). **

**And yes, I do know the original "Four Seasons" were written by Antonio Vivaldi (thanks, Pump it Up!), but…well…just tryin' to get creative here. I do give Mr. Vivaldi total credit though for his amazing compositions and to clear up the fact that Uchiha Sasuke _DID NOT _compose "The Four Seasons". May Vivaldi's work live forever.**

**_Herbst: "_Autumn" or "Fall" in German**.


	2. Winter

**A/N: "Winter" is one of my personal favorite songs, especially the version by BanYa. There is now a link in my profile to my site where you can download the song. Really, it's worth a listen!**

**Winter**

The next afternoon, Sasuke spent hours finishing his new piece while Naruto peeped annoyingly over his shoulder, squirming and constantly asking when the music was going to be finished. Sasuke took several deep breaths and did his best to make sure that his hands were on the quill and paper and not jammed into his assistants' face in anger. Being a composer was extremely stressful, especially when your assistant was Uzumaki Naruto.

"Come on, Sasuke, hurry up!" Naruto whined, jumping on the balls of his feet. "I really need to pee-"

Sasuke set down his quill and grabbed his own face, his nails digging into his cheeks. "Look, it will be better for both of us if you just get out of here. I will be able to finish 'Herbst' and you won't be purple and red with bruises and cuts."

Naruto laughed nervously and backed away from Sasuke. He had received a beating from his master once when he had walked in on him while he was with a woman, and it wasn't an experience he wanted repeated.

"S-Sorry, sorry. Just don't hit me."

Naruto slowly backed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Sasuke waited until he heard loud footsteps go down the wooden stairs outside the room, groaned, and banged his head on the table in front of him three times, his head throbbing and his temper rising. What had happened to the good old days when he was younger, not caring about money or music and being able to play out on the streets with the other children with not a care in the world?

Sasuke smiled to himself. "You were inspired to become a composer, that's what happened."

When he was living in Switzerland with his very rich family, Sasuke was often taken to performances and concerts featuring some of the most famous artists and composers of the time. There was really only one performance that had him awe-struck: it was an orchestra playing a composition that was written by a man named Beethoven (the composition was 'Pastoral Symphony'). Sasuke's mouth hung open during the performance, and afterwards he excitedly announced to his mother and father that he was going to live his dream that had come into place just hours before: to become a great musician. So when he was of age, he packed his bags and moved to Germany with a very small amount of money and a determined heart.

"God, I was stupid," Sasuke whispered to the grains of wood underneath his forehead. "I'm not a great musician. Nothing of mine is comparable to Beethoven's music."

He jumped slightly from his chair as a loud knock on the door shook him out of his stupor. He raised his head, rubbed his forehead, and cleared his throat in a dignified manner.

"Come in."

The doorknob turned slowly and light, graceful footsteps resounded in the darkening room. Sasuke scratched his head and a smile played on his mouth as his long-awaited guest bowed and shut the door behind her.

"Miss Hyuuga, so glad you could show up."

Hinata whipped off her dark blue traveling cloak and straightened out her flowing pink dress. "It was quite a pain to get here, you know," she mumbled, walking towards him and sitting on the table he'd been working on. "Getting past Miss Haruno is no easy task, let me assure you."

Sasuke set his elbows on the table and looked up at the young woman in admiration. "Oh no, I don't doubt that sliding past that bitch is extremely difficult." He interlaced his fingers and shifted his gazed hungrily to the low cut neck of her dress. "So there were no problems finding my humble studio, I hope?"

Hinata raised her brow and followed his gaze. "No, not at all." She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and grinned. "Ask anyone where the womanizing composer is and they'll be able to tell you in a second."

Sasuke chuckled. "Of course, of course."

Hinata stared down at him, her arms as well as her legs crossed tightly. "Now that I made it here, may I ask how I'm supposed to…ah, _inspire_ you?" She tilted her head downward and the piece of parchment on which 'Herbst' was written caught her eye. "It looks like you're doing just fine without me."

Sasuke felt himself flush but didn't skip a beat. "You need to help me write my…other compositions."

The woman tilted her head and smirked. "So this one is called 'Herbst'? What's the next one going to be, 'Winter'?"

The infamous charm switch set off in Sasuke. "If you want it to be called 'Winter', so shall it be."

The grin faltered on Hinata's face and she looked the other way. "Why are you being so friendly towards me when we barely know one another?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I guess it must be love at first sight."

Hinata scoffed and turned back to him with a disbelieving look on her face. "I think you mean _lust _at first sight, Mr.Uchiha."

Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "No, Miss Hyuuga. It's love, I'm sure of it."

Hinata's pale face was now tinted with pink. "How can you know what love is when you've been with almost every woman in town?"

Sasuke didn't respond. So she had a point…but still…

He tore his eyes away from Hinata and looked out of the window at the night sky. "Sometimes," he said quietly. "You just know you're in love without any reasons."

Hinata followed his gaze and smiled. "You may be in love, Mr. Uchiha, but I feel almost nothing towards you…yet."

"Touché, my dear."

* * *

For the next month, Hinata and Sasuke visited regularly, talking about music, the weather, government, and how much of a cow Sakura was. There were always smiles on their faces during their meetings and their friendship was indeed developing nicely. Sasuke would once in a while play one of his compositions for her on the violin, and she would sing opera to him in return. Autumn was slowly melting into winter, and it was time for Sasuke to compose his next piece.

Before one of the meetings with Hinata, Naruto burst into Sasuke's studio, wearing a pompously triumphant look on his face. Sasuke had been cleaning off his cluttered table and was, as usual, disgruntled that his assistant had walked in on him with no warning.

"Naruto!" Sasuke snapped, throwing a piece of wadded up parchment across the room and hitting the other man smack dab in the face. "How many times must I tell you to _knock_? It's utterly-" He stopped in mid-sentence, spotting a rather hideous pink scarf wrapped around Naruto's neck. "And take off that ridiculous thing!"

Naruto rubbed his cheek and grabbed the scarf tightly. "No! Miss Haruno said I could have it since she didn't want it anymore! And besides, it's snowing!"

Sasuke blinked and glanced out the same window that he always looked out of. Sure enough, small white flakes were drifting down from the stone grey sky and covering the cobbled road below. Winter: the final step before the changes would occur, where the earth would be cleansed with pure snow and get ready for its' new garments of sweet-smelling flowers and green grass.

"So it is…" Sasuke muttered. "I hope Miss Hyuuga will be able to make it."

Naruto sighed, relieved that the subject had been changed from the beloved scarf he had received from the woman he adored. "Speaking of Hinata, I heard some interesting news about her when I ran into Miss Haruno."

Sasuke raised his brows, his interest peaking. So maybe Naruto was good for _something_. Hopefully he found out that Hinata was secretly in love with a certain composer…

"So what is it you found out, my dear assistant?"

Naruto stuck out his chest importantly. "Hinata is…a virgin."

Sasuke frowned and his fantasies of standing in front of a huge mansion with six or seven raven-haired, white-eyed children and a famous female opera singer disappeared. "Congratulations, Naruto," Sasuke said sarcastically. "You found an absolutely _worthless_ piece of information that I will never need-" His voice trailed off and his mind absorbed what Naruto had said. "You said…she _is _a virgin?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes sir. She's as chaste as the Virgin Mary herself."

Sasuke scratched his chin and contemplated. Making love with the most beautiful, talented, and witty woman in the town would be almost invaluable for inspiration. Besides, he needed some fun after working diligently on 'Herbst'…

Sasuke felt excitement well up inside of him and he patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Let me rephrase that: Congratulations on finding the most useful information you have ever given to me." He walked past Naruto and out of the room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go prepare the bedroom."

Naruto shook his head. "Sasuke is very lucky to have as helpful as an assistant as I am, that's for sure."

Sasuke ran his way up the stairs to his bedroom, his pulse quickening and his hormones running. 'What a perfect way to get motivated,' he thought happily. 'I'll be writing 'Winter' in no time flat after tonight.'

He slammed the door to his bedroom open and sighed heavily. His sleeping space, besides his studio, was the messiest room in the whole house. The bed sheets were pulled onto the floor next to dirty undergarments, dust was gathering in every corner, and Sasuke was sure that there were some mice living under one of the nightstands.

He cracked his knuckles and stared at the mess with determination. "Now to get this pig-pen cleaned up in time for-"

"In time for me, I presume?"

Sasuke groaned and hung his head. "Miss Hyuuga, you're here already?"

Hinata shut the door behind her. "I'm never late for an appointment." She eyed the unmade bed with distaste. "So what your assistant told me at the door was true: we're meeting in your bedroom."

Sasuke turned to her. "Yes, yes we are."

Hinata smirked. "What's the occasion?"

Sasuke knew he couldn't tell her the real reason they were meeting up there, but lucky for him that he was an excellent excuse-maker. "I just thought…you'd like to meet somewhere more, ah, elegant!"

Hinata cocked her head. "Elegant, huh?"

"…Yes."

Hinata shrugged. "Alright then."

She sat down on the bed and twiddled with her thumbs, seeming unaware of the composer's true intentions. Sasuke stared at her nervously. Was this a good way to do it, pushing her down on the mattress and demanding hot, passionate love?

As soon as Sasuke made his way to the bed, Hinata jumped off the mattress and picked up one of the dirty undergarments from the floor and held it between her fingers. She wrinkled her nose and clicked her tongue.

"My, my! Mr. Uchiha, when was the last time you had this room cleaned?"

Sasuke hid his disappointment and scratched his head. "Probably more than three months ago."

Hinata shook her head. "Truly disgusting! Well!" She rolled up the sleeves of her light blue dress and rested her hands on her hips. "Let's make this place habitable for humans!"

Sasuke groaned and slid to the floor, annoyed that his master plan was beginning to fall apart. Hinata dumped all the dirty laundry into his arms and turned to the bed.

"You just take that outside and I'll make the bed, alright?"

For the next ten minutes, the pair tidied up the mess, one very happy to do so and the other anxious to move on to more important matters. Once the room was what Hinata called "acceptable", Sasuke sighed in relief and

plopped himself on the neatly folded covers of the bed.

"I guess that wasn't a total waste of time," he muttered, running his hands through his messy black hair.

Hinata giggled and sat down next to him. "Really, Mr. Uchiha-"

"Call me Sasuke, if you would."

Hinata seemed hesitant but complied with his request. "I mean, Sasuke, cleaning isn't all that terrible, is it?"

Sasuke propped himself on his elbows and looked up at her. "It is when you have something else on your mind."

"Hmmm…" Hinata turned her attention to the window, where the snow was falling harder than it had been just a few minutes ago. "Sasuke, would you mind it if I asked you a rather personal question?"

Sasuke grinned and inched his hand closer to Hinata. "It depends."

Hinata took a deep breath and smiled embarrassedly. "What is…_it _like?"

Sasuke squinted. "It?"

"You know…" Hinata gazed down at him, blushing. "Making love, what's it like?"

Sasuke was extremely pleased with her question and scooted a few inches toward her. "Well…it's rather exhilarating and exciting. You're nervous for the first few minutes, but then you feel comfortable with the other person seeing you nude and such. Of course," he winked at Hinata. "It wasn't really love with the women I've done it with: it was just meaningless sex."

Hinata looked at him with a rather sad expression on her face. "O-Oh…"

Without thinking, Sasuke sat up and held Hinata's hand tightly. "I suppose you want to try it?"

Hinata leaned away from him, shocked. "S-Sasuke?"

"Hinata…" Sasuke stared at her intensely and rested his free hand on her knee. "Please?"

Hinata's lower lip trembled and she quickly stood off the bed, breathing heavily. "Sasuke, I'm truly sorry." She looked back at him with tears in her milky eyes. "If Miss Haruno ever found out…she'd stop supporting me and send me back to Austria." She touched Sasuke's cheek lightly and pressed her lips to his forehead. "Singing is my passion, and I can't do anything that will keep me from singing."

Without another word, she hurried out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her. Sasuke blinked several times, sighed, and reached into the drawer of the bedside table. He pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink and set the items on the table. He looked out at the peacefully falling snow before dipping the tip of the quill into the ink and began to write his next piece:

'Winter'.

**A/N: To answer Shelby's question, yes, I am taking German in school! Yays!**

**Winter: "Winter" in German (pronounce the 'w' like a 'v').**


	3. Frühling

**Frühling (Spring)**

Sasuke stared down at his steaming cup of earl grey tea and sighed. That was the first time he had ever crashed and burned with a woman. He was quite used to getting whatever he wanted with a lady and it was like a slap across the face, a wake-up call, when Hinata rejected him. So the great Uchiha Sasuke could only do the deed with easy, rich whores. Oh goody.

He groaned and rolled his eyes as he heard loud, tumbling footsteps enter the dining room. "Yes, Naruto?"

Naruto yawned widely and slumped down in the chair next to Sasuke. "What are you doing up so early? You must've had an exhausting night last night." A grin spread across his tired face. "So, tell me: how was it?"

Sasuke rested his elbows on the table and grimaced. "How was what?"

Naruto's mouth fell open. "You-you mean that you didn't…"

Sasuke moaned and banged his head on the table. "Damn, I thought I had her in the bag for sure."

The other man shook his head in disbelief and let out a low whistle. "That's tough, but it's not as if you haven't had your fair share of…erm…passion, shall I say?"

Sasuke raised his head, which was now developing numerous bruises due to his hitting it quite frequently. "I've never, _ever_ been denied. I mean…" He sighed wistfully. "I'm talented, I'm good-looking, my genitals are-"

Naruto cringed. "Geeze, I can see why Hinata didn't want to stay with you all night."

Sasuke frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Naruto threw his arms up. "Good god, man! If you were a woman, would you ever give yourself to a man who is pompous and absolutely full of himself! I, _sir_, would not!"

Sasuke pounded his fists on the table, causing his cup of earl grey tea to shatter on the floor with a delicate tinkling sound. "Naruto, how dare you speak to your master like that!"

Naruto set his hands on his hips. "Sasuke, the truth hurts, but you needed to hear that."

Sasuke stared at him incredulously before taking a deep breath and trying to slow down his quickened heartbeat and pulse. So what his assistant said had a bit of truth in it: Sasuke always received compliments and had never once in his life had gotten criticism more than "It's okay, just try harder next time". Of course, the maids and servants in his father's house didn't dare say anything demoting to the youngest Uchiha son and the women in town now always flattered him for sex, but…did that mean he had never been told the truth? Was his music actually miserable, but no one had the nerve to tell him so?

Sasuke buried his face in his hands. "Naruto, what can I do to get her to love me?"

Naruto shrugged. "Why ask me? I've never even kissed someone."

"But you have a bit of a feminine charm!"

"…Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

Sasuke sighed. "See? I don't know what to say."

Naruto scratched his chin and squeezed his eyes shut as though in deep thought. The other man bit on his lower lip and tried his best not to laugh at him; Naruto looked as though he had some bladder troubles.

"Well…" Naruto finally opened his eyes. "What do you think about Hinata? What sets her apart from the other women here? Why is it that you desperately want _her_?"

Sasuke grinned for the first time that morning. "That's simple: she's gorgeous and witty, her soul is as pure as freshly fallen snow, her singing is amazing…" He stopped. "And you know, she could probably get a better man than me."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh please, enough with the self-pity. You're going to go after her anyway even if you aren't right for her."

Sasuke leaned back and nodded. "That's true."

"How about…" Naruto glanced out the large dining room window. "When spring comes, you have a walk together and just…talk. Tell her all the things you just told me."

Sasuke followed his assistance's gaze. The sky was stone grey and was releasing its load of snow onto the already powered ground. Spring was quite a ways away, so he'd have plenty of time to come up with a sappy speech for Hinata.

"I just don't know if I can do it," Sasuke muttered, still staring at the falling snow. "I've never given a woman so many heartfelt compliments that I actually _meant_."

Naruto glared at Sasuke." You mean…when you told Miss Haruno that she was beautiful and angelic, you were lying?"

"Well…what's wrong with that? You always lie to me when I ask what happens to my _expensive_ Belgium chocolate."

Naruto flushed. "I-I wasn't lying!"

Sasuke turned to him, arms crossed and brows raised. "Naruto, did you honestly think I believed you when you said the brown stain on your vest was dog waste?"

Naruto twiddled with his fingers. "Fine, I lied," he grumbled. He suddenly brightened up again, which Sasuke was accustomed to by now (he had originally thought that Naruto had some sort of mental disorder). "Hey, how about I repent by helping you practice your speech for Hinata?"

Sasuke leaned forward. "_How_?"

"Just…pretend I'm Hinata!"

"What?"

"Come on, just try it! Pretend I'm the lovely opera star Miss Hyuuga."

Sasuke squinted, trying to make Naruto's blue eyes turn milky white, his short blonde hair long and dark, and his chest elevated about five or six inches. He grimaced and shook his head. Naruto and Hinata being the same person was just…against the laws of human nature.

"Naruto…I am NOT telling that you're beautiful and how firm and voluptuous your non-existent breasts are."

Naruto pouted. "Fine, but I'll just laugh when Hinata slaps you across your egotistical face."

* * *

Months passed. The snow was quickly melting off the ground and spring was engulfing the town. Blossoms were popping up on bare tree branches and the children were once again playing in the streets.

And Sasuke still wasn't prepared to talk to Hinata.

The composer was sitting on the balcony outside his studio, a quill and an inkpot sitting on the iron wrought café table and a sheet of parchment in his hands, which was almost entirely blank except for the title written in big, loopy letters: "Frühling". The sun was high in the sky; the wind was warm and gentle like an infant's breath; the nearly intoxicating scent of the new season was in the air. Yet, since Sasuke was the self-proclaimed "craziest composer", neither inspiration nor motivation came upon him.

Sasuke leaned over the balcony and grinned. "Oh god, it would be so funny to dump some ink on those little laughing bastards down there."

"But you, _sir_, have a song to compose."

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair and sighed exasperatedly, contemplating whether or not he should spray his assistant with ink and not the kids playing on the street. "Naruto, you have two extremely annoying habits that you must get rid of: sneaking up on people and ruining everyone's fun."

Naruto stepped next to the table and bounced on the balls of his feet. "Oh, so you must consider me telling you very important news is ruining your fun?"

Sasuke laced his fingers together and rested his hands under his stomach. "So what is this important piece of news I _must_ hear? Did you finally figure out what I meant when I called you a 'nincompoop'?"

Naruto pointed down from the balcony. "Well, no, not yet, but Hinata is coming up the street right now."

Sasuke slammed down the parchment on the table so hard that the table toppled over and leaned over the balcony. Sure enough, the woman with the hypnotic, white eyes, flowing hair, and gorgeously pale skin was walking up the side of the street with a basket of flowers in her arms. Sasuke gulped and turned to Naruto.

"Wh-what should I do?" He hissed.

"Yell, yell!"

Sasuke hesitated before clearing his throat and yelling, "Miss Hyuuga!"

The children on the street immediately became quiet and stared up at the insane composer and his jumpy, animated assistant that their parents always warned them about. To Sasuke's relief, Hinata looked up as well, shielding her eyes against the sun. She smiled and gave him a small curtsey.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Uchiha and good afternoon…" She looked at Naruto and cocked her head. "Umm…good afternoon…you."

Naruto frowned. "She doesn't even know my name," he whispered.

Sasuke ignored him, paying his complete and utter attention to the woman below him. "Are-are you busy tomorrow, my dear?" For a split second, he looked away from Hinata glared at the children, who were still staring open-mouthed at him. "What are you looking at?" He snapped.

The children quickly returned to playing with their small rubber ball but not before sticking their tongues out at the infamous musician. Hinata giggled and it seemed as though the entire street became even livelier.

"Ah, Mr. Uchiha, you're not too great with the younger generation, are you?"

"Women like guys who are good with kids," Naruto muttered to Sasuke. "Just make up an excuse as to why you were mean to them."

Sasuke laughed nervously. "Well, I'm usually quite nice to children, aren't I Naruto?"

Naruto nodded. "Oh yes, he'll make a wonderful father for your future children-" He stopped in mid sentence when Sasuke elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "A-anyways, yes, Sasuke is like a god to those children."

The kids on the street once again stopped playing and gave Sasuke a disbelieving look but turned back around when he glared at them and made a rude hand gesture. Thankfully, Hinata didn't see any of this.

"So…so you think that maybe…you'd like to take a stroll with me tomorrow?" Sasuke asked hopefully.

Hinata brushed her bangs away from her face and smiled. "I think that can be arranged." She bowed and started to make her way down the street. "Meet me at the rose gardens tomorrow around sunset. Auf wiedersehn!"

Sasuke and Naruto waited until she had turned the corner before slapping hands and congratulating one another.

"Sasuke! Hinata didn't hit you!"

"Of course not, _nincompoop_, not only was I suave but it would've been physically impossible for Hinata to fly up here and strike me."

"Why won't you just tell me what that word means?"

"What, nincom-" Sasuke was interrupted by a high-pitched scream coming from below the balcony.

"We don't like you!" Screamed a brown, spiky-haired boy, who was pointing a wavering finger at Sasuke. "You're not even close to a god!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Konohamaru, shut up you little son of a-"

Naruto slowly walked back inside the house and shook his head. "Thank god Hinata wasn't here to see the un-suave Sasuke."

* * *

The next day, Sasuke reluctantly accepted Naruto's offer and practiced what he was going to say to Hinata. He almost vomited when Naruto would reply in a high-pitched, squeaky voice that was no doubt supposed to be an impression of the Prima Donna, but nonetheless he managed to get through his lovey-dovey speech perfectly. By the time the sun was sitting on the horizon, Sasuke was waving goodbye to Naruto and strutting down the street with his renewed confidence.

In less than fifteen minutes, Sasuke had made it to the _Weiss Rose_ gardens and, as always, was enchanted by the collage of red, white, and yellow roses that surrounded expensive marble fountains and benches. He sighed contentedly and slumped down on one of the benches sitting next to a life size statue of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.

_'Remember_,' Naruto had told him just hours earlier. _'Try to get next to anything that reflects love. Girls like that stuff.'_

Sasuke chuckled; his assistant _was_ rather woman-like.

'Ah, Naruto, if tonight goes well you can have as much of my expensive chocolate as you want.'

Sasuke quickly stood up as he heard the unmistakable soft, graceful footsteps. He smirked and bowed as Hinata came into view, who returned the smile and curtsied. He was pleased to see that the neck of her midnight blue dress was very low cut, but held back his approval of her outfit. Tonight, everything had to be perfect.

Sasuke gently tugged on Hinata's wrist and brushed his lips gently against her soft skin. "I'm very glad that you could join me tonight, Miss Hyuuga."

"I'm very glad that I could join you, Sasuke."

Sasuke smiled. "So you remember that I liked being called by my first name."

Hinata laughed nervously. "I think that people remember a lot about you."

Silence hung over the two before Sasuke cleared his throat loudly and offered his arm to Hinata, who slowly took it. They began walking around the bushels of roses, arm-in-arm and quiet.

"So…" Sasuke finally said. "It's been a while, yes?"

"Since winter," Hinata agreed.

Sasuke grimaced. "I suppose you haven't forgotten about _that_ night."

Hinata shook her head. "I can't say I didn't."

As they passed by a bush of white roses, Sasuke caressed the petals of one of the flowers and quickly jerked the entire thing off, causing his hands to bleed from the many sharp thorns. He handed the rose to Hinata.

"This is going to sound cliché, my dear, but you are like a rose."

Hinata sniffed into the flower deeply. "I'm beautiful but dangerous?"

Sasuke squeezed her arm tightly. "Well said."

Hinata set the rose in her corset, which made the man beside her flush. "My cousin once told me that I had a certain…virginity about me."

"Oh?"

Hinata glanced at Sasuke. "He says I'm afraid to get close to people."

Sasuke raised his brow. "You seem comfortable with me."

Hinata gave a small shrug. "You never know, I may just be putting on an act. I'm very good at acting." She touched the rose in her corset lightly. "It was my cousin who suggested I come to Germany. He said that Miss Haruno would be a much better supporter for me than my pervious one."

"And who was that?"

"It was Ita-" She stopped in mid-sentence as a bush to the couple's left started to quake. A few seconds later, a man only a year or two older than Sasuke, with the same milky white eyes and dark hair as Hinata emerged from the bush, his emerald green waistcoat now covered with twigs and rose petals.

The man cleared his throat. "Miss Hinata, what are you doing out at this hour?"

Hinata gasped. "Oh-oh Neji! I'm sorry I-" She gestured from Sasuke to her cousin. "Sasuke, this is my cousin, Neji."

Sasuke clicked his fingers together and gave Neji his signature cocky smirk. "Hyuuga Neji, eh? I haven't seen you for years!"

Hinata cocked her head. "You two know each other?"

Neji sniffled. "We were both apprentices under Kakashi," he said stiffly.

Sasuke scoffed. "Such good times! I dipped your hair in the inkpot, spilled tea in your boots, tripped you down the stairs…" He sighed wistfully. "And yet, I was Mr. Hatake's favorite, though I was a trouble-making little bastard."

"You see, Kakashi didn't care about the talent of his pupils as much as he did the amount of money their daddies were willing to spend," Neji said coolly.

Sasuke's cool demeanor melted away and a low growl rose in his throat. "I think he favored the ones who didn't have quills half way up their asses."

Hinata stepped between the men, both of whom looked like they could rip out the other's throat. "Please, you two. You're acting like children." She turned to Neji and gave him a hard, piercing look. "And Neji, why are you even here? I'm not a little girl; I can take care of myself just fine."

Neji looked over his cousin's shoulder and sneered at Sasuke. "Miss Hinata, I'd rather not see you get broken by this wretched little rich-boy."

Hinata's shoulders drooped in annoyance. "Neji, really, you worry too much."

"Hmph, it's better than worrying too little." He pushed Hinata away and beckoned to her. "Come on now. It's time for the little date to end here. We only have a week left."

Sasuke frowned. "A week until what?"

Neji waved his hand carelessly. "It doesn't pertain to _you_." He once again gestured to Hinata. "Let's go, Miss Hinata."

Hinata moaned and stamped her foot. "Neji! You don't know how much I hate you right now!" She turned to Sasuke and patted his hand. "Excuse me, Sasuke, but I better be off now."

She snatched the rose out of her corset and threw it on the marble pathway before stomping off, leaving the two rivals in her wake. Neji smirked grimly.

"She'll thank me for this."

"I'm sure she will," Sasuke muttered sarcastically.

Neji turned on his heel and followed his cousin out of the rose garden. Sasuke waited until he was out of sight and cursed, kicking the nearest bench.

"Goddamn, Neji. I would've thought you had gotten that quill out of your rear-end by now."

* * *

A few days after the interrupted date in the rose garden, the warm spring weather suddenly became rainy and wet. The forget-me-not blue sky was now shrouded under billowy gray clouds and the streets became slick and slippery.

"The only ones who are enjoying this weather are the plants," Sasuke said, bored out of his mind on a Thursday afternoon. "It's raining, Naruto is nowhere to be seen, 'Frühling' isn't even halfway complete, and Hinata still doesn't love me."

Sasuke rose from the small kitchen table and stretched his arms over his head. He reached out for the metal teapot and a porcelain tea cup and proceeded to pour himself his sixth cup of tea that day. Anything that distracted him was fine, and seeing that tea was the only thing in reach…

Sasuke drained his cup of tea and leaned against the wall of the kitchen. Why didn't he just give up on everything? It seemed as though he and Hinata would never be together, his music was trash, his assistant had the mental capacity of a four-year-old…

"That's what he told me to do," Sasuke said to himself. "He told me to just give up on life, that he'd always be better than me anyway."

His pessimistic thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on the front door that resonated through the deserted house. He set down his teacup on the table and walked through the kitchen into the front hall and, making sure he looked presentable, unbolted and opened the maple front door. A dark-cloaked figure was standing on the porch steps, the rain drenching his pale face and dark hair that Sasuke had inherited…

"Good afternoon, dearest brother," said the cloaked figure silkily.

Sasuke grinded his teeth together and his grip on the door handle tightened. "So nice to see you, Itachi," he said through his clenched teeth.

Itachi whipped off the cloak and took a step forward. "Aren't you going to invite me in, Sasuke? Or did you leave behind your manners that our dear mother and father taught you back in Switzerland?"

Sasuke curled his upper lip. "Seems like it's going to be the latter, isn't it?"

He started to shut the door on his brother, but Itachi quickly slipped in with unbelievable speed. Itachi smiled, which sent shivers down his brother's spine, and dropped his cloak carelessly on the polished wooden floor.

"My, my, Sasuke," he said, pretending to be offended. "Such animosity. I'm just here to ask you a question."

Sasuke formed his hands into tight fists. "You came all the way from Austria to ask me a question? Oh yes, Itachi, that's using your common sense."

Itachi chuckled. "I could say the same about you: moving all the way to Germany on the incentive of a dream and still writing the garbage you call 'music'."

Sasuke's lower jaw hung loose and, though it wasn't clever, said the only thing that came to his emotionally hurt mind. "Well…your operas aren't that good either."

Itachi waved his finger at him. "Don't be jealous, Sasuke. You know that 'Figaro' is a masterpiece."

"I was bored out of my mind when I read it."

"That's because you're as dumb as a mule and you don't appreciate true art."

Sasuke poked his brother in the chest. "Okay, you said you came here to ask a question, not flatter yourself. So ask the goddamn question and get out of here."

Itachi gave his younger brother a mock bow. "Of course, I don't want to take time away from your hormone-driven daydreams on which ugly hen you're going to bring back home tonight."

Sasuke's nails dug into his palms so hard that blood trickled down his wrist. "I'll have you know, I've slept with some of the most beautiful women in Germany."

"Really?" Itachi asked lightly. "How many?"

"Ten," Sasuke answered proudly.

"Tch, pathetic. I've already been with thirty women…" Itachi smiled again. "And I hope to make it thirty-one with Miss Hyuuga."

Sasuke's jaw dropped another inch or so and anger flamed up inside him. "What-what the hell are you talking about!" He yelled.

"Before I answer that…" Itachi raised his forefinger. "I will ask my question: will you be going to my performance of 'Marriage of Figaro' in Austria?"

"I'd rather kiss Naruto than see that opera again," Sasuke seethed.

Itachi raised an elegantly curved brow. "I'm sure you'll change your mind when you find out who's playing the part of Rosine."

Sasuke crinkled his nose. "It isn't…"

Itachi nodded. "Yes, Miss Hyuuga. I _am_ her original supporter. She owes me for discovering her talent, don't you think?"

'So that's what Neji meant in the garden,' Sasuke thought, wishing he could wring his brother's neck. 'Hinata had only one week until she had to leave for Austria.'

Itachi sighed heavily. "I guess you're not interested But don't worry…I will take _exceptional _care of Miss Hyuuga."

"If…if you do anything to her…" Sasuke breathed, the anger in his body threatening to break lose.

"Don't worry," Itachi said nonchalantly. "I won't be too rough with her."

Before Sasuke could lunge at him, he gave one last cocky smirk, opened the front door, and disappeared into the rain.

* * *

The rain continued throughout the night, though Sasuke hadn't really noticed. He had gone up to his bedroom and stayed there all afternoon, thinking of some way to make sure that Itachi wouldn't lay his grubby hands on Hinata. Like inspiration, no plans had come to him and he crashed down on his mattress.

It was already well past midnight, yet Sasuke still lay awake, staring at the ceiling. That was it. He couldn't go after Hinata anymore. She would swoon over Itachi, like almost every woman who came in contact with him, and not have anything to do with Sasuke anymore.

Sasuke rolled over on his bare stomach and bit on his lip until the metallic taste of blood seeped into his mouth. "I don't get it," he whispered to the pillows. "Why is Itachi so superior to me in everything? His operas are boring as hell, though I did laugh and enjoy myself for only a few minutes-"

"Talking to yourself again?" Said a familiar voice in the doorway.

"Sneaking up on people again, Naruto?"

Naruto walked into the dark bedroom and sat on the mattress. "Itachi and Hinata left this afternoon."

"Thanks, I really needed to hear that!" Sasuke snapped.

Naruto rolled his eyes and tugged on Sasuke's arm. "Come on, we have to get going."

Sasuke shook Naruto off, anynoyed. "Go where, Naruto? It's after midnight, for god's sake."

"Where do think we're going, idiot?" Naruto asked, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We're going to Austria to get your brother away from Hinata!"

"Naruto, there's no point to it," Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto was starting to get angry. "Are you kidding me? The great Uchiha Sasuke, the best composer in all of Germany, is going to stand aside and let his bastard brother get the woman he wants! Come on, Sasuke! If you really, and I mean really, care about Hinata, you'll do this!"

Sasuke raised his head and looked at his assistance with new respect. "Naruto…damn it, you're right!" He jumped off the bed and pulled his boots on (he didn't bother to take off his day clothes). "Let's go!"

Naruto laughed loudly. "I knew you needed me!"

They were about to depart from the bedroom before Sasuke stopped, remembering something he needed for the journey.

"Wait, I need 'Frühling'-"

Naruto dug into his pocket and pulled out the piece of parchment filled with music. "I have it right here."

Sasuke snatched the parchment and pointed outside the bedroom door. "To Austria, my dearest assistant!"

**A/N: Okay, I'm once again twisting history. Uchiha Itachi DID NOT actually right "The Marriage of Figaro". All the credit goes to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. **

**_Fr_**ü**_hling: _"Spring" in German**

**_Auf Wiedersehn_: "Goodbye" in German**


	4. Sommer

**Sommer (Summer)**

Sasuke stared tiredly out of the small window of the stuffy carriage, trying to keep the wonderful thought of sleep out of his mind and instead think of what he and Naruto were going to do once they got to Austria. His brother's operas were usually held in Vienna (or so he had heard), and knowing his large ego and the fact that other people thought his work was good, they were probably performed in the biggest and most famous opera houses available. That's all the information he had, but it would make do.

'It'll be easy to track Hinata down, but…' Sasuke turned his head and stared at Naruto, who was playing with a small cup-and-ball toy that he probably stole from a child. 'How are I and this idiot sitting across from me going to take her back home?'

"Naruto," Sasuke muttered. "Would you please put that thing away?"

Naruto looked up from the toy. "Why? Is it annoying?"

"Very."

Naruto sighed and stuffed the toy into his pants pocket. "Sasuke, I know that you're stressed out right now, but you need to learn to have some fun."

Sasuke crossed his arms and looked at the other man gravely. "Fun? Ha! When can you have fun when you have to please every one of your supporters with breath-taking music, avoid the pink-haired mongrel with whom my assistant is in love, deal with a bastard for a brother, and go all the way to Austria to try and save the woman who might not even love you?" He reached across and poked Naruto in the chest. "Tell me, how do you expect me to have _fun_?"

Naruto stared at him blankly before fishing out the cup-and-ball. "Try this. I think it's entertaining."

Sasuke shook his head. "That was a rhetorical question." He noticed the blank look on Naruto's face and added, "That means it can't be answered."

Naruto looked sadly at the cheap toy in his hands. "Why is it that such a smart, talented person like hired an idiot like me for an assistant?"

Sasuke hesitated before he answered. Truthfully, the only reason why he did take in Naruto as his assistant was because no one but teenage girls had been interested in the job (of course, the girls were probably more concerned about spending lots of time with a good-looking composer). But now was the time to lie again; Naruto's self-esteem and confidence were about as low as you could get, and he definitely needed some cheering up…

Sasuke plastered a fake grin on his face. "Because you are extremely talented and you are a good companion."

Naruto scoffed and threw the cup-and-ball to the floor. "Sasuke, it's really easy to tell when you're lying." He lifted his foot and stamped down on the toy, causing it to shatter into numerous splinters of wood. "I'm a complete waste of 120 pounds and you know it."

The other man took a deep breath and prepared himself for a long "you're-worth-a-lot-to-me-and-I'd-be-nothing-without-you-speech" before Naruto spoke up again.

"I mean, I can't even find a woman who'll look at me and not cringe."

Sasuke stared sadly at Naruto. He had never thought how hard it was for him to be pushed to the side and ignored by almost every woman in the town. It probably hurt to be lonely and to have only a psychotic mentor and a cup-and-ball toy for company. He didn't deserve that. No one did.

"Naruto?"

"Yes?"

Sasuke let a genuine smile cross his face. "I want you to become the best composer in all of Europe. I even want you to be better than me."

Naruto snorted. "Ha! Me? A composer? Why would I do that?"

Sasuke was taken aback. "Wh-what? You mean you don't want to be a composer?"

Naruto shrugged his left shoulder. "I'm not talented enough. I don't even know how to read music."

Sasuke raised his brow, in total disbelief that he hired someone who couldn't even read music to be his assistant. "So…well…what do you want to do? You can't be my assistant for the rest of your life."

'I'd hang myself before I let that happen,' he said to himself silently.

Naruto's face turned slightly pink. "Don't laugh but…I always thought I could do acting where it's just improvisation."

"You mean _commedia dell'arte_?"

The other man nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty good at making stuff up at the spur of the moment."

"Yes, I know," Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto continued. "And besides…if I do acting, Miss Haruno could become my supporter." He sighed wistfully.

Sasuke laced his fingers together and leaned forward. "Honestly, is she the only thing you think about? She's an obsession for you."

Naruto tapped his nose. "I could say that about you and Hinata."

Sasuke scowled. "That's different."

"No it isn't, Sasuke. We're both just love-sick fools."

* * *

Later that night, Sasuke and Naruto decided that they were both too tired to carry on and checked it to a cheap inn in a small, grungy town. After a meager dinner of unripe cheese and stale bread, they headed to their separate rooms and bid good night to each other. 

Yet one of the two was still awake in the dead of night.

Sasuke rubbed his eyes and once again looked down intently at the crumbled piece of parchment on which the unfinished composition of the song inspired by the third season was written. It seemed hopeless: he was never going to finish it.

"Damn it," he muttered. "If Naruto could read and write music, I'd just have him finish it for me."

Sasuke glanced out the dirty window at the unfamiliar street underneath him. This was the same feeling he had after he had moved away from Switzerland: homesickness. He hated not knowing his surroundings. He hated not knowing the people around him. He hated not being able to sleep in his own bed.

Sasuke rubbed his temples and pushed himself away from the rickety wooden desk. "Hinata, if you saw the state I'm in, I'm sure that your tender heart would carry you back home with me."

* * *

Four days later, after traveling in many different carriages and spending the night in various inns, the two finally made it to Austria. On the day of their arrival, the sun was shining brightly, the leaves on the trees were dark green, and the sky was a perfect shade of light blue; spring was finally beginning to fold into summer. 

A light, crisp wind blew through Naruto's sunshine hair as he sighed contentedly, resting his hands behind his head as he and his teacher made their way down a cobbled street of Vienna. "Thank goodness we made it. I didn't think I could handle another miserable carriage ride."

"I hope we're not too late," Sasuke said quietly.

"Oh trust me, we aren't," Naruto said cheerfully.

"And how do you know?"

Naruto pointed at the window of a small bakery to their left. "Don't tell me you didn't notice the posters everywhere."

Sasuke snapped his head in the direction in which Naruto was pointing. Sure enough, a large poster was slapped on the glass of the small store, hiding loaves of fresh bread from view. His heart skipped a beat; the painted picture of the dark-haired, white-eyed woman smack dab in the middle of the poster was Hinata. Curved letters spread out under the picture read:

_The Marriage of Figaro:_

_An Opera by Mr. Uchiha Itachi._

_Tonight Only_

Sasuke scanned the entire street, spotting the same poster on almost every window and door of all the shops. "Well…I guess we did come to the right place at the right time."

Naruto scratched his head. "With all this publicity, we'll have to wait in the crowds for a long time to get into the show."

Sasuke gave him a sideways glance. "Naruto, do you remember the first thing I taught you?"

Naruto looked at him, dazed. "How should I know? My first lesson with you was five years ago!"

"First off, it was two, not five years ago." His master waved his finger at him. "The first lesson I gave you was that people think we're better than they are." When Naruto did nothing but give him a confused stare, he continued impatiently. "It means that we can just pass through the crowds like it's no ones' business. Come to think of it…" He chuckled. "I don't think we've ever waited in line for a show before."

Naruto eyed at Sasuke with admiration. "Sasuke…you're amazing."

The other man began walking away down the street. "Sorry, my good sir, but I don't find much interest in men."

Naruto quickly ran after him. "What's that supposed to mean? You don't honestly think that I am going to give up on Miss Haruno for _you_, right?"

"As sad as it is, you'd probably have a better chance with me," Sasuke murmured.

* * *

Hinata touched her pale cheek lightly, as did the Hinata in the mirror sitting in front of her. It was only a few hours until the show began, yet she was completely free of nerves. When she did get jittery, her voice shook and sounded ghastly. That was one thing she couldn't sacrifice: her voice. 

Hinata touched the mirror lightly with her fingertips. "I wish…I could've said goodbye to Sasuke."

"No worries, my lovely lady. He wouldn't have appreciated your kind words anyway."

Hinata looked over her shoulder and her heart plummeted as Itachi entered her dressing room and slammed the door behind her. "Hello Itachi."

Itachi slid gracefully behind her and rested his colds hands on her bare shoulders. "Are you nervous? Perhaps I could be of some assistance."

Hinata whipped around in her chair and was shocked at how close her supporter's face was to hers'. His eyes were mesmerizing, his breath was warm, his skin was beautiful, and yet…

She whimpered and quickly turned away from Itachi. "I'm sorry, Itachi, but we can't be intimately involved with each other…again."

Itachi rested his chin on her shoulder and nipped at her ear, causing waves of shivers to find their way down her spine. "Oh? But we didn't get very intimate at all."

Hinata gulped. "It was enough for people to spread rumors about us."

Itachi breathed on her skin lightly. "Is that the only excuse you have?"

"No, but…" Hinata hesitated.

"Yes?"

Hinata rubbed her arm roughly. "I…I don't think I love you anymore."

Itachi raised his brow but remained pressed up against Hinata. "Oh? And what makes you think so?"

She didn't respond. She couldn't possibly tell him that she was thinking of someone else, that another man could have stolen her heart. Hinata had always thought that Itachi was the one she was going to marry, which is why she kept somewhat of a distance from Sasuke. But that had changed…the tables had turned…

When she didn't answer, Itachi scoffed and turned on his heel. "Just remember, Hinata: your future is in my hands."

With one last cocky smile, he left the room quietly, leaving Hinata to ponder what her heart really wanted.

* * *

"Naruto, are you absolutely _certain_ that you know the plan?" 

"Yes, Sasuke."

"We only have one chance to get this right."

"Yes Sasuke."

"If we mess up, Hinata will never be mine."

"Yes, Sasuke."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and bonked Naruto on the head. "The number of times you said 'Yes, Sasuke' really bothers me. Are you sure you were listening?"

Naruto rubbed his head and glared at him. "YES! We've gone over the plan enough!"

Sasuke sighed. "Alright, alright."

The two were standing right around the corner of the Vienna opera house in a dark alley, already being able to see the large crowd moving slowly through the large doors of the building. For the past half hour, Sasuke had gone over his "ingenious" plan with Naruto, making sure that his assistant knew what to do and have only a few screw-ups (he was, after all, Naruto, so faults were to be expected).

Sasuke wiped the sweat away from his forehead and took a deep breath. "I have complete faith in you, Naruto. Please don't make too many mistakes."

Naruto grimaced. "With that tone of voice, it sure doesn't sound like you have much faith in me."

Sasuke looked towards the opera house, wringing his hands. "Sorry...I'm just very nervous."

Naruto rested his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Well, if we do fail, there's always plenty more women who will drop on their knees for you."

Sasuke brushed away Naruto's hand. "I know there are lots of women…but there's only one Hinata." He glanced once more at the enormous building and gestured to his assistant. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

Hinata peered over the velvet curtain at the audience made up of thousands of art appreciators and rich aristocrats, looking over the sea of heads for a familiar face. She knew who she was looking for…but it seemed that he didn't care all that much after all. 

Hinata sighed and gripped the curtain tightly. "Looks like he won't see me pouring my heart out…"

She glanced down at the front of the audience at the orchestra and spotted the spiky-haired, drowsy-looking conductor. She waved and he raised his hand lazily in reply.

"Hello Shikamaru," Hinata whispered.

Shikamaru smiled back sleepily. "You'll do great tonight," he said quietly.

Hinata shrugged and shrank back behind the curtain as the lights dimmed and the crowed quieted. The show would be starting in just a few seconds, though it didn't really matter to her since she wouldn't be on the stage for quite sometime…

She turned around and tip-toed away from the curtain as her fellow actor, Kiba, began singing loudly in Italian.

_"Cinque... dieci... venti... trenta... trentasei...quarantatre."_

Hinata stopped in her tracks and smiled. Though Kiba didn't look it, he was a fine singer, though it got on her nerves whenever he brought his obnoxious dog along with him.

'People here…are so talented. Why doesn't Itachi care about the other performers as much as he cares about me?'

Hinata jumped slightly as a loud crashing sound resounded outside near the audience area and the lights went completely out. Kiba stopped singing, the orchestra has ceased playing, and the crowd began to scream. She turned on her heel, her heart racing. What was going on? This had never happened before…

Before Hinata could take another step, strong arms wrapped around her stomach and began pulling her away. Her heart hammered as she tried to scream, but her mouth was quickly covered and she was dragged farther behind the curtain into the dark. She took a deep breath, raised her knee, and kicked the culprit between the legs with the back of her heel. Her foot hit something that felt like a large, crushed rodent, and the man fell to the floor with a groan, his hands flying away from Hinata's mouth.

Hinata spun around, gasping for breath, and stared angrily at the crumbled body on the floor. "What in the world are you doing?" She spat, aware that the audience was still disheveled and that everything was still dark. She raised her fist. "Whoever the hell you are-"

"Jesus, Hinata," the figure whimpered on the floor. "Did you really have to make my manhood suffer that much?"

Hinata lowered her fist and stared as Sasuke got up from the dusty wooden floor, his hands held tightly in front of his groin. "Oh dear Lord…" She said quietly.

She let her breath come out of her nostrils like a fuming bull and grabbed Sasuke by the upper arm before pushing him against the brick wall with all the force she had. Unbeknownst to most of her fans, Hinata didn't fit into the weak, prissy opera singer stereotype; in fact, she had more muscle than most of her fellow male performers.

Sasuke smiled sheepishly, his arm started to numb from Hinata's tight grip. "Heh, you don't seem too happy to see me, Miss Hyuuga."

Hinata didn't respond but continued to glare at him. The truth was, she was happy to see Sasuke. He had been the one she especially wanted to see during this performance. Still, she hadn't expected him to come, less so to cause chaos and ruin the performance.

"S-Sasuke," Hinata said quietly, trying to keep her breath steady. "What the hell are you doing?"

Sasuke pulled Hinata's hand away from his sore shoulder and lightly rubbed the spot where her nails had dug into his skin. "Taking you back home with Naruto and myself."

"Who's-"

"Naruto would be my assistant, dear."

Hinata stared at him for a moment before shaking her head and gritting her teeth. "My_ lovely_ Mr. Uchiha, in attempt to bring me _back home_, you've _ruined_ the performance and have made me_ extremely_ angry." She poked him in the chest. "Tell me, how does that make you feel?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Quite good, because these are the results I expected."

Hinata sneered, her anger threatening to burst out of her at any minute. "Really? May I ask _why _you want my career to come tumbling down?"

Sasuke grabbed her by the shoulders and rested his finger under her chin. "To save you from a lot of pain."

Hinata trembled from his touch but the anger towards him resumed. "_Save_ me from a lot of pain?" She slapped Sasuke's finger away. "My dear Mr. Uchiha, _you're_ the one who's causing all of the pain!"

Before she could turn around and stomp away, Sasuke grabbed Hinata's arm. "Hinata, you don't understand-"

_SMACK!_

Sasuke let Hinata slide out of his reach while he touched his burning cheek where she had struck him. Hinata let a deep breath sneak out of her mouth as she turned away from him, ashamed that hot tears were rolling down her face and onto the dusty wooden floor.

"The only thing I don't understand is why you're being so selfish!" She said shrilly. "You have a perverse obsession with me and won't leave me alone!"

The comment had hurt Sasuke worse than Hinata's slap, and Hinata had a pretty damn painful backhand.

"Hi-Hinata…" He said quietly. "You-you don't know…my brother can take advantage of you."

"Now really, little brother," said an icy voice behind Sasuke. "There's

no need to cause so much drama just because you can't have Hinata."

Sasuke's hands formed into fists as he spun around and faced his older brother. "Now really, Itachi, there's no need to be such a cocky bastard all the time."

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Oh that's good, Sasuke, that's _real _good. Your idiotic comebacks bring as much honor to our family as your pathetic songs."

Hinata looked back over her shoulder at the too men, shocked. "You two…are brothers?"

Itachi bowed low to her. "I'm deeply sorry that you have to put up with this savage dog following you, Hinata. I'll be sure to get rid of him for you."

Sasuke couldn't take it anymore and he lunged forward onto his brother, fists flying and blood pouring. Hinata watched from the side, horrified at the sight of two grown men fighting like children.

"Stop it, both of you!" She said in her clearest, strongest voice, yet the brawl continued.

"Jesus, Sasuke, you fight like a woman!"

"You fight like a little girl!"

Hinata cleared her throat and yelled "I said stop!"

The two men looked up, Sasuke with a black eye and bruised forehead and Itachi with a bleeding nose. Hinata took a deep breath and rested her hands on her hips. She wasn't expecting to be a mother of two little baby boys so soon.

"Now, honestly!" She screamed, pointing at them. "You two are despicable! This is an opera house, not a muddy ditch!"

Itachi stood up and wiped his bleeding nose on the back of his hand. "You're quite right, Hinata. It sounds like the audience is calming down and that we can get on with the show." He picked up his younger brother by the collar. "And you, Sasuke, will be coming with me. I can't possibly allow you to stay back here."

Sasuke let Itachi drag him away, staring at Hinata sadly. So it looked as though his 'master plan' had fallen to pieces, He had come all this way for nothing…

Hinata shook her head as the two disappeared through the door that led to the audience area. "I swear…"

She plopped down on an upturned bucket a few feet away, relieved to hear Kiba singing once more. As they say, 'the show must go on', even if there are devious little bastards pestering one of the singers.

_'Maybe you shouldn't have been so hard on him,'_ said the sweet, inner Hinata. _'He did come a long way to see you.'_

"He didn't have to cause so much trouble," Hinata mumbled.

_'It was all for you though. His thoughtless, dim-witted actions showed how deeply the man cares about you.'_

Hinata rested her chin in her hands. "There are less destructive ways of showing that he cares."

_'You are impossible, woman. I can't believe you're the same Hinata from nearly fifteen years ago.'_

Hinata frowned, remembering her early childhood. She was pushed around, abused, harassed, and easy to take advantage of. She had had very few friends, considering the fact that her cousin practically shielded her from any form of contact by another seven year-old.

Hinata lifted her head and looked out onto the brightly lit stage. As soon as she reached the age of womanhood, men started to notice her and she had been asked for her hand in marriage several times. Almost all of the men who were wooed by her were uneducated idiots who encouraged Hinata to quit singing, with the exception of two guys…

"Itachi and Sasuke," she whispered. "Two brothers."

The opera continued while Hinata sat on the bucket, contemplating the situation. They were both fine-looking men who appreciated her talent, but they were also a bit lecherous, having a strong taste for sex and attractive women. Itachi was her supporter, who gave her the push she needed to get her career going. Sasuke…well…

"He really likes me," she said softly. "And he really did show true devotion tonight, even when I thought for a while that he was a male whore."

Hinata looked beyond the stage at the sea of faces, but could not find Sasuke or Itachi. She prayed silently that they were still in the building as her focus returned to the stage, where TenTen had just joined Kiba.

"I'm going to choose tonight," she said to herself. "Which brother do I really want to be with?"

* * *

Sasuke sat in the back row with glazed eyes, not paying attention to the opera at all. "Jesus, this is the worst night of my life. Hinata slapped me verbally and physically, and now I'm stuck here watching this garbage." 

Naruto leaned over and grinned goofily. "Heh, you can't blame me! I broke the chandeliers perfectly! Did you hear all the people screaming?" He leaned back in his seat. "I must say, I'm pretty proficient in making trouble."

"I must say, I agree," Sasuke said under his breath.

"So when do you think Hinata will come in?"

Sasuke sighed. "Why do I care?" He said lazily. "It's obvious that she hates me."

Naruto groaned. "So I did all that hard work for nothing?"

"Hard work?" Sasuke looked at him disbelievingly. "Is it really that difficult to unscrew the chandeliers and let them come crashing to the floor?"

Naruto chuckled. "Sasuke, I'm not a…what do you call those 14th century Chinese assassins?"

"Ninja."

"Yes, that's it. I'm not a ninja." Naruto looked up at the stage and squinted. "Look who's on right now."

Sasuke felt a pang in his chest as he saw Hinata slowly walk onto the stage. He shouldn't have been watching…he wasn't worthy enough to look at such a beautiful creature.

"Naruto," Sasuke croaked. "Please, cover my eyes."

"No way," Naruto said lightly.

Sasuke forced himself to keep his eyes open as Hinata took center stage, the lights shining brightly on her beautiful, pale face. The same swooping motions in his stomach that occurred when he first saw the woman were rising up violently. Even if she hated him, she still gave him that incredible feeling.

"Hey, why isn't she singing?" Naruto said loudly.

Sasuke shook himself out of the stupor. "Wh-what?"

Naruto pointed. "Look."

It was true: Hinata was standing stark still on the stage, her mouth hanging slightly open and apparently oblivious to the fact that the crowd was shouting at her and that the orchestra had stopped playing. Even from where Sasuke was sitting, he could see her fellow actors mouthing and gesturing to her.

"What do you think is wrong?" Naruto said quietly, looking at Sasuke with a puzzled expression. "What exactly happened backstage?"

"N-nothing," Sasuke said, now giving his full attention to the stage.

Hinata was silent for another full fifteen seconds and the crowd was beginning to grow restless. A few of the audience members even got up from their seats and left, mumbling about how they had wasted an entire evening on a shoddy opera. Yet Sasuke and Naruto sat completely still, waiting to see what was going to happen.

Hinata cleared her throat loudly and the crowd became completely silent. She looked out at the huge audience with an almost frightened look on her face before speaking, not singing.

"I-I…"

She scanned the crowd with her milky white eyes and Sasuke had the feeling that she was looking for him. His heart did somersaults when she stopped turning her head and rested her eyes on him.

"I…"

Silent tears rolled down her face and she took a deep breath. Naruto looked at Sasuke curiously, but his mentor simply shrugged in return and motioned for him to settle down.

Hinata gripped her flowing white gown tightly and yelled "I love you!" before running off the stage, dissolving in tears.

The crowd and the performers were dead silent. This surely wasn't part of the show, was it? Who was she talking to? Why did she make such a proclamation during a performance?

Naruto slowly turned his head and gazed at Sasuke with round eyes. "Wh-what?"

Sasuke remained totally silent, wanting to cherish the moment.

* * *

After the whole incident with Hinata running on her stage and declaring her love for a person unknown to the audience, the rest of the opera proceeded smoothly. As the end, Sasuke was rather surprised to hear that most of the people in the audience said that that was one of the most exciting and mysterious nights of their lives. Who was the one that broke almost every single chandelier in the building? Who was the singer saying 'I love you' too? Were the two incidents connected? Only four people knew. 

As soon as most of the crowd had left the building, Sasuke and Naruto got up from their seats and made their way back to the entrance. They were greeted outside by a gorgeous corn-yellow moon floating in a diamond sky.

Naruto sighed contentedly. "Shall we be off back to our inn now?"

Sasuke continued to stare at the moon. "You go. I'll stay here for a while."

Naruto winked and chuckled. "I see. Well, have fun."

He walked off with his hands in his pockets, whistling quietly. Sasuke waited till the remaining audience members left before plopping down on a nearby bench, feeling his blood rushing and his heart beating. Had he done it? Was he the one Hinata was talking to? Or was this entire trip in vain?

Sasuke grimaced. 'Well, I did have to sit through that awful opera. My god, that man has no talent.'

"Hello, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up from the cobbled pavement and grinned widely as Hinata appeared from behind the corner of the Vienna opera house. Her flushed cheeks were visible under the pale moonlight and she seemed a bit pensive when she sat down next to him.

"H-How did you like the show?" She asked quietly, avoiding eye contact with him.

"I hated it," Sasuke said simply. "My brother writes the worst pieces of trash I've ever had the displeasure of reading." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Though I did enjoy the part when Rosine came on to the stage and made the…ah, unscripted speech."

Hinata laughed quietly. "Ha, yes…about that…"

Sasuke looked back at her. "Do you really love me?"

"Well…" Hinata returned his stare, her eyes shining in the moonlight. "Yes, I do."

Sasuke let out the breath he was holding. "That's good. I mean, I did blow a lot of my savings on this trip and I'm sure Naruto is almost wiped clean of money." He lightly placed his hand on top of hers'. "But that doesn't matter. It was worth it."

Hinata yawned and gently leaned against him, and Sasuke couldn't have been happier. "So what do we do now?"

Sasuke squeezed her hand. "Well, we are lovers now…I think."

Hinata let out a wavering sighed and faced him. "Would it be okay if I did this?"

She slowly closed her eyes and laid her soft lips on top of Sasuke's, but pulled away after only a second. It wasn't deep or heavy, but to Sasuke it was the best kiss he had ever had, including the one he had with an elderly woman's cat.

Hinata's cheeks reddened and she smiled sheepishly. "I-I'm sorry. I don't really know what I'm doing."

Sasuke rested his hand on her warm cheek and smiled. "No, your kiss really made my night." He reluctantly pushed himself away from Hinata. "I better get back to the inn. I'm worried that Naruto will find some way to cause destruction to my room." Before Sasuke could even take one step, he felt a small tug on his sleeve and looked over his shoulder at Hinata. "Erm…yes?"

"Sasuke…" Hinata hesitated but continued. "Can I…" She blushed even more in the darkness. "Please, let me spend the night with you."

Sasuke could've melted right there on the ground. With blood starting to gush into his lower regions, he turned back to Hinata with his mouth open.

"Are…you're kidding, right?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, I'm not." She looked at him intently. "I-I'm probably not very…good at it, but-but I can at least try."

Sasuke felt tears of joy well up in his eyes, and he could've done the deed with her right there and then. "I…I don't know what to say."

Hinata looked at the ground. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have even-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she was quickly whisked off the bench by Sasuke and was soon quickly dragged to the inn where he was staying at.

* * *

"Sasuke…I apologize. This is really awkward for me." 

"It's okay, Hinata. Just relax."

The two were sitting together on the stiff bed in Sasuke's room at the inn, each with a simple sheet around both of their bodies. Hinata was trembling horribly, but Sasuke was as calm as ever, though he was a bit eager for the whole process to start.

"I don't know what to do," Hinata admitted. "I'm just so new at this."

Sasuke grabbed her shoulders. "Lie down."

Hinata let Sasuke push her down on the bed and lean over her. She couldn't help but gasp as the sheet slid off his body and onto the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled.

"I didn't know composers could be so…muscular."

Sasuke gripped the sheet around Hinata's body and pulled it open. "I didn't know opera singers could look like goddesses."

He leaned so close to Hinata that he could feel her body heat and pressed his lips against hers'. This time, their passion had grown stronger and the kiss was deeper with the involvement of tongues and their hands sliding all over one another's body until…

Hinata pulled away and let out a small scream. "S-Sasuke, stop!"

Sasuke groaned. "What's wrong, Hinata? Are you nervous again?"

She pointed out the window to their right. "Look!"

Sasuke followed her gaze and his upper lip twitched violently. A blue-eyed, blonde-haired somebody was watching through the window with a huge, drool-dripping, self-satisfied grin.

"OH MY GOD, NARUTO!" Sasuke yelled, running to the window. "YOU ARE A DEAD MAN AS SOON AS I GET A HOLD OF YOU!"

Naruto tried to yell back, but lost his balance and fell from the window. Hinata shook her head as she heard a loud _clunk _sound of a poor assistant falling to the ground.

"Oh well. Maybe it'll work out some other night."

* * *

The warm month of July was finally upon the earth. Though it was extremely hot and muggy, the people around the small, aristocratic town full of talented musicians and artists enjoyed passing by the beautiful garden in front of the mansion owned by the composer Uchiha Sasuke and his wife Hinata, who had been married for only a few weeks. They were a very generous couple, who let passersby sit in their garden and even pick a few of the rare flowers. 

One afternoon, Sasuke was sitting in the garden, a single piece of parchment lying on the iron wrought table in front of him. He had just finished composing the fourth season, 'Sommer'('Frühling'had been finished the day before his wedding) and was ready to take a much-needed break from writing music (for only a little while, of course.)

Hinata walked to the table carrying a tray with a cup of tea and a bowl of sugar on it. "Ah, so are you done?"

Sasuke leaned back. "Yes. Those awful seasons are finished."

Hinata giggled and sat down on his knee affectionately. "Now really, were they _that_ bad? I think your music is rather good."

Sasuke wound his arm around her waist. "You know what they say about me. I'm-"

"Insane?"

"Exactly."

Hinata looked up at the blue sky overhead and laughed. "I think the one who's more out of their mind is the one who falls in love with an insane composer and retires from their opera career at an early age to help make insane little children."

"Once again, my dear: touché."

**END **

**A/N: Oh…my…goodness…it's done! It's finally done! And…it was only four chapters long…ha..ha…I'm so slow.**

**Hope you enjoyed 'Four Seasons' by Cleone!**

**_Sommer_: "Summer" in German **


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